Inuvember 2018
by hi-nezumi-no-kawagoromo
Summary: My collection of drabbles, one-shots, whatever you want to call them inspired by Inuvember 2018's prompts. Enjoy! Please don't forget to leave a review; I can't grow without your critique!
1. Chapter 1

**Inuvember Day #1: Main Gang**

Inuyasha didn't know how much more of Kagome's muttering he could take. Ever since he'd agreed to letting the group rest for the night, Kagome had been mumbling and talking to herself as she read over one of those stupid "eggs-ham" books. Inuyasha closed his eyes as he drifted off in thought. What she needed to know about eggs or ham was beyond him- what were eggs and ham compared to the deliciousness of instant noodles? As visions of ramen cups and chopsticks danced around in his mind, Inuyasha almost salivated at the thought until the smell of salt brought him back to his senses.

Eyes opening in concern, Inuyasha scanned the clearing where he and his friends had set up camp for the night. The last few rays of the sunset shone through the forest canopy and gave the forest floor an almost golden glow as it continued to descend below the horizon. After they'd settled down and eaten, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo had passed out almost immediately around the campfire. The flames of the campfire left shadows that danced against his friends' sleeping faces. All except one.

Kagome was curled up in a ball, face buried into her knees and textbook off to the side. Tremors wracked the girls frame as she tried to silence her sobs. Eyebrows furrowed, Inuyasha stood from where he'd been resting and made his way over to her slowly and silently. Once he'd closed the distance between them, Inuyasha knelt in front of the crying woman in front of him. The longer he watched her the more he felt his heart breaking. What should he do? What was the right thing to do? He couldn't just leave her crying there, but what if she wanted to be left alone? Wouldn't she have come to him if she wanted to be comforted? Just as he was about to stand up and leave, Kagome peeked from where she'd been hiding her face.

Before her protector could move any farther, Kagome grabbed one of his haori sleeves and held on with a vengeance. She didn't want him to leave her alone. She didn't want to be left with her thoughts any longer. As her thoughts began to spiral, she almost didn't catch the hanyou in front of her taking off his haori. It was only when the robe of the fire rat was brought to rest on the crown of her head that Kagome noticed he'd stayed. Chocolate eyes met amber, and before she could blink she was swept off her feet and held flush against Inuyasha's chest. Kagome immediately buried her face into Inuyasha's shoulder, her tears staining his inner kosode. Bringing a hand to support the back of her head, Inuyasha just stood there and let her cry.

The pair stayed like that, despite the compromising situation, until Kagome's breathing finally began to even out. Sobbing turned to sniffling, and as Kagome's wave of emotion finally began to pass Inuyasha took the opportunity to investigate the cause of the girl's distress.

"Are you okay?" the hanyou asked softly, his voice right by her ear. The miko shook her head in response, not even bothering to say a single word. Inuyasha waited to see if she had anything she wanted to say before speaking again.

"...Do you want to talk about it?" He asked even softer. When he received another nonverbal no as his answer, Inuyasha resisted the urge to sigh before going back to where he'd been sitting before, Kagome in tow. Back resting against the tree trunk he'd been leaning on earlier, Inuyasha let Kagome make herself comfortable in his lap before resting his cheek against the top of her head and draping an arm around her shoulders.

While Inuyasha knew he wasn't the best when it came to using his words or talking about feelings, that didn't stop him from doing the only thing he knew how in that certain situation: letting her know that he was there if and when she was ready to talk.

 _To be continued in Inuvember Day 2: Main Gang_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello friends! I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update this. I know I (maybe?) mentioned trying to upload a chapter a day for this project, but as you can see that hasn't really been happening (my apologies!). I originally only intended for this to be in two parts, but as I continued to write I realized that it would flow better as 3 parts. Please be patient, I promise Chapter 3 is in the works!**

 **As always, please leave a comment/review; I'd love to know what you think! Thank you 3**

* * *

Kagome didn't know how much longer she could take being stared at. Setting her gaze straight ahead on the dirt road below her feet, she did her best to avoid the curious looks of the villagers as she and her friends walked through the unfamiliar village. The gang had decided, after hearing rumors of a demon possessing a jewel shard, that their best bet would be to guess which village the demon would go after next and wait for it; hence their current location. However, Kagome's patience in the village and with the villagers in particular was growing thin. It took all of the girl's willpower to not snap at each set of peering eyes pinned on her.

This wasn't the first time she'd received looks on their travels. On the contrary, she was quite used to it, or at least _should_ be. But something about how the looks from these villagers in particular were paired with frowns of disapproval put Kagome on edge. It didn't help matters any that the group she travelled with was anything but conventional or "normal"-looking. Inuyasha and Shippo aside, how often did a woman taijiya and lecherous monk walk around in the open? Slowing her pace, Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to calm down and forget the pointed leers she continued to receive from the villagers. She could do this, she was better than this...

That proved to be her undoing. Lost in her own thoughts, her friends' concerned cries didn't reach her until she'd walked into a man who stood in front of her. Blinking profusely as she was brought back to her senses, Kagome slowly turned her head to face the man she'd accidentally bumped into. He was about a head taller than her with jet black hair put up into a top knot, the standard physique you'd expect of a villager, and piercing gray eyes. Trying to find the words to properly apologize to the man before her, Kagome felt her voice catch in her throat when she was met with the man's angry glare.

"Oi, wench. You better watch where you're going," the man said before giving her a once over. With a pointed finger facing the opposite direction, he added "Oh, and the whore house is over that way, or did you get lost?"

Kagome's sympathy soon transformed into anger. Swallowing her fear and turning it into courage, Kagome returned the stranger's angry glare and cocked an eyebrow. Standing tall, she placed her hands on her hips before letting her tongue fly. Had she not been so focused on telling off the man in front of her, she would have heard Inuyasha growling as well as Miroku and Sango pointedly whispering at him to calm down and keep it together.

"I am _not_ a whore, I'm a priestess, and I'd appreciate it if you treated me with a little more respect while my friends and I are in town." A slight flush appeared on Kagome's face as the villager seemingly ignored her and continued to stare. Patience thinning, Kagome all but cried "Would you stop staring at me?!" before the villager finally thought to give a response.

"If you _are_ a priestess as you say, then dress like one. Otherwise, don't be upset if people assume otherwise." Before the villager could turn around and leave, though, Inuyasha stomped forward and grabbed the man by the outer folds of his rough kimono. Growling despite himself, Inuyasha's amber eyes glared into the villager's gray ones.

"I'm gonna give you 10 seconds to take back what you just said, or so help me-"

"That's enough, Inuyasha," Miroku interjected as he stepped in between the two man. Letting one last snarl escape his lips, Inuyasha released his hold on the man before stuffing his arms back into the sleeves of his haori. The villager wasted no time in scrambling away, his previous air of confidence having evaporated. Once the villager was out of sight, Miroku released a sigh before staring pointedly at Inuyasha. Just as he was about to chastise the half demon, though, an elderly couple appeared and stood before Kagome. Grasping the priestess' hands with his own callused ones, the elderly man gave Kagome a desperate look before speaking up about his troubles.

"Oh priestess, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you mind coming to our inn to bless our grandchild? H-He's been so sick, and we worry that… that-"

Kagome moved her hands so that she was grasping the old man's hands instead, effectively cutting the him off. Flashing him a warm smile, Kagome nodded in response.

"Of course. In exchange, would it be too much trouble to put my friends and I up for the night?" Kagome asked, removing a hand to gesture to said friends. Both the old man and woman nodded avidly before taking charge at the front of the group and leading the way.

 _To be continued in Inuvember Day 3: Main Gang_


	3. Chapter 3

"If you need anything else to make your stay more comfortable, please don't hesitate to seek us out."

Responding "thanks" in tandem, the group waited for the old woman to slide the shoji door closed behind her before making any moves to settle into the room they'd been provided. Setting her large, yellow backpack down in a corner of the room, Kagome began to unpack her belongings. As she made to unroll her sleeping bag, Kagome caught a familiar shade of red out of the corner of her eye. Raising an eyebrow in question, Kagome stole a quick glance and was surprised to be met with golden eyes washed in concern.

"Inuyasha? What's wrong?" the school girl asked as she smoothed out the exterior nylon shell of her sleeping bag. The feeling of the smooth and sheer fabric under her palm was soothing, and as she continued to rub the material under her skin she almost became totally engrossed in the hypnotic action until the feeling of a familiar clawed hand grabbing hers broke her from her reverie.

"Stupid woman," Inuyasha muttered before speaking up. "You get insulted by a man on the street today and yet you ask _me_ if something's wrong. Don't you ever worry about yourself?"

"I can't tell if you're trying to comfort me or scold me," Kagome muttered bitterly to herself before lowering her gaze to look at their intertwined hands. Gently rubbing tiny circles into the back of his hand with her thumb, Kagome sighed before returning her chocolate hues to settle on beautiful gold. She'd never get over his uncanny ability to tell when something was wrong.

"I'm okay Inuyasha, really," Kagome replied before flashing him a smile. Inuyasha saw right through her facade though and let her know as much. Eyebrows furrowed, Inuyasha continued to stare at Kagome, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. What was he to do in this situation? What _could_ he do?

' _If Miroku hadn't let that fucker get away I would've, I could've-'_

"Inuyasha?"

His trail of thought broken, Inuyasha looked up and saw Kagome's face scrunched in pain. Eyebrows furrowing in concern, he was about to ask what hurt until he felt Kagome jerk her hand out of his grip. Looking down at the hand that had just been holding Kagome's, he stared at his appendage in confusion until the sight of mottled pink against creamy skin caught his eye.

Inuyasha felt his heart drop as he watched Kagome rub her now bruised hand. Had _he_ done that? He then surmised that he must have; after all, he'd just been holding her hand. Acting before thinking, Inuyasha quickly snatched Kagome's now bruised hand again before gently resting it against his forehead. Gaze pointed downward, Inuyasha sighed and held her hand there for a moment. Drinking in her touch as well as her pleasant-smelling scent, Inuyasha closed his eyes as he felt his anger simmer down. All the while Kagome just felt her cheeks darkening in hue as she watched.

While she appreciated the gesture, it wasn't like they were alone in the room they were situated in. Moving her gaze from her half demon to the center of the room, she gulped when she saw four sets of eyes pointed her way. Breath caught in her throat, Kagome had decided she'd had enough of being stared at. Standing up abruptly, she gingerly removed her hand from Inuyasha's grasp once more before opening the shoji door, exiting, and closing it behind her.

' _I just need a breather. Maybe a breath of fresh air will-'_

For the second time that day, being lost in her thoughts had betrayed her. Kagome held off a howl of pain as the hot tea that was now all over her began to seep into her skin and clothes. The burning sensation was fast spreading and Kagome instinctively grabbed at her abdomen where the burning felt the worst. Eyes squeezed closed in pain, Kagome could hear the shoji door she'd just walked through slide back open as well as the sounds of familiar growls and nervous, padded steps.

"I-I'm so sorry sir, she came out so suddenly, and had I seen her soon enough I-"

"Save it. You should be apologizing to her, not me," Inuyasha said coolly, cutting the server off before scooping Kagome into his arms. Shippo immediately joined him, jumping onto Inuyasha's shoulder before sliding down the hanyou's chest to land on Kagome's abdomen. Before he could ask her what happened, however, Kagome winced in pain at the sudden contact. Growling intensifying, Inuyasha brought Kagome closer to him while sending the fox kit a pointed glare.

"Shippo, go make yourself useful and find some towels and a change of clothes," Inuyasha commanded, the bite in his voice not lost on the younger demon. Shippo simply did as he was told and scurried off. Any thought of yelling at Inuyasha for the way he'd just talked to him was consumed by the guilt he felt for hurting Kagome, whether intentional or not. As soon as the kitsune was out of sight, Inuyasha looked at the trembling server before him.

"Where can I find the nearest bath house?" the half demon asked, his gaze on the server remaining cool.

"A-Actually, w-we have baths you can use he-"

"Then stop telling me _about_ them and tell me where to _find_ them."

After translating the server's trembly-spoken directions, Inuyasha gave a curt nod to show his understanding and turned on his heel to follow the directions he'd been given.

Kagome worried her lip between her teeth in an effort to keep her pained whimpers to a minimum. She was ready for the day to be over. After the meltdown she'd had last night and the multiple events that happened just earlier today, she wondered how much longer she'd last before she snapped. Before her thoughts could wrong her for a third time that day, she was delightfully distracted when Shippo reappeared at Inuyasha's side. The young demon held in his small hands a simple blue kimono, a hair brush, and two towels. Feeling Kagome's eyes on him, Shippo turned so that his eyes met hers and erupted into a grin; he was just so relieved that she didn't look angry at him.

Shippo followed Inuyasha into the bath house portion of the inn while making sure to keep his distance; he didn't want to risk testing Inuyasha's patience a second time. Stopping a foot or so behind Inuyasha once he'd stopped moving, Shippo watched as Inuyasha carefully set Kagome down onto a wooden bench right outside where the baths split for males and females. When green eyes met brown once again, Shippo was met by another of Kagome's smiles. How was it that she was still able to smile while being in so much pain?

Kagome's visage was cut off from Shippo's gaze when the girl's hanyou-protector kneeled in front of her. When Inuyasha glanced upon Kagome's continued smile, a corner of his lip turned upwards ever so slightly, leaving traces of the faintest of smiles. Leave it to Kagome to crumble his resolve and make his heart do somersaults (not that he'd ever let her know that).

"Clumsy woman. Lift your shirt so I can check your burn," Inuyasha told Kagome. The schoolgirl's face immediately erupted into brilliant shades of red. Worrying her lip between her teeth, Kagome just stared at Inuyasha; he had to have realized the implications of what he just asked, right? As brown orbs stared into gold, the air around them slowly grew tense. The longer she stared, the more Kagome realized that no, her hanyou companion _didn't_ seem to understand. Lower lip jutting into a pout, conflicted over whether she should feel relieved or frustrated by Inuyasha's lack of interest, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut while she untucked her stained white blouse from her skirt and slowly lifted.

Kagome's stomach was a mottled shade of pink. Inuyasha's ear flattened and he growled at the sight; the burn on her stomach was of a similar shade to the bruise she now bore on her hand. A bruise _he_ had inflicted her with. Shaking his head to keep his thoughts from spiraling, Inuyasha gently pulled Kagome's shirt back down before standing up.

"I'm gonna go grab your backpack. Your first aid kit is in there, right?" Kagome nodded in response. "Alright, stay here and try not to trip on anything else while I'm gone," Inuyasha said before adding a cocky smirk. When he got the desired reaction of an eye roll and contained laugh, Inuyasha turned around and knelt to Shippo's level.

"Watch her, runt. I'm counting on you."

Puffing his chest out, Shippo put his hands on his hips and stood taller before giving Inuyasha a nod. Returning the gesture, Inuyasha then rose up and walked out of the room, leaving Shippo and Kagome to wait for him. Glancing at his friend beside him, Shippo stared at her clothes and felt a question that he'd always thought about rise to the front of his mind.

"Hey Kagome, can I ask you something?" Kagome nodded in response, her attention focused on keeping the pain from her burns to a minimum. "Why do you wear the clothes from your world while you're over here?"

"Why does it matter?" she replied quickly. She didn't want to have this conversation.

"W-Well, it's just that… you've been so on edge lately," Shippo admitted before gulping. "I noticed how the villagers were looking at you, and when that man snapped at you I couldn't help but wonder 'wait, why _does_ she wear the clothes from her era if she doesn't like being stared at?'"

Kagome's fists clenched in an effort to maintain her patience. She didn't want to be having this conversation, she didn't want to keep talking about it. She was over it, so why couldn't people just leave her alone and-

"Kagome?"

She snapped.

"BECAUSE I'M NOT _FROM_ THIS ERA." And with that, she rose from her spot on the bench and stomped off to the women's section of the baths, pain be damned.

* * *

Inuyasha was surprised to say the least when he returned and saw Shippo crying on the bench he'd left Kagome on. Taking a quick sniff of the area, Inuyasha pushed his concern for Kagome to the side momentarily when he deduced that she was still there, just in the bath portion.

"...Everything okay?" Inuyasha asked awkwardly as he took a seat next to Shippo. The kitsune just continued to cry, hands over his eyes and tear streaks stained across his cheeks. Whether he'd noticed the hanyou's presence or not wasn't clear. Clearing his throat, Inuyasha tried to get the kit's attention before asking again; he didn't want to be consoling Shippo any longer than he had to. Thankfully, his second attempt seemed to do the trick. Sniffles wracking through his tiny body, Shippo rubbed his eyes before looking at Inuyasha.

"I.. I think I made Kagome upset. I asked her why she always wears the clothes from her era rather than clothes from ours, and then she yelled and stomped away and.. and.." Shippo trailed off as tiny sobs rose from his chest once again.

Inuyasha gulped. A crying and upset Kagome was one thing; while he hated seeing her so sad, he knew he could at least comfort her with gentle embraces and kind words. An angry Kagome was an entirely different story. He'd been "sat" more than enough times to know so. Body aching as if she'd said the word of subjugation already, Inuyasha felt another shudder go through his body before he decided he'd had enough. Standing up once more, Inuyasha shouldered Kagome's backpack into a more comfortable position before grabbing the towel, hairbrush, and kimono Shippo had brought over earlier.

"Don't hold it against her. She's… been having a rough time," said Inuyasha softly. Before Shippo could ask any questions, Inuyasha left to go look for the girl they both were concerned about. Kagome's feelings weren't his story to tell.

Kagome's head broke the surface of the warm bath water with a gasp. The warm water was doing wonders to ease her burns, bruise, and mind. Sighing contentedly, Kagome lowered herself until only her eyes, nose, and ears rose above the bath water's surface. The bath was infused with oils and soaps, giving the water a pleasant aroma and somewhat murky texture. It was the best bath Kagome had taken in a long, long time. Blowing bubbles absentmindedly, Kagome was about to submerge her head completely until the sight of familiar, white doggie ears stopped her. Coming into view completely, Inuyasha stared at Kagome blankly and watched as her cheeks grew red and her arms wrapped hastily around her chest. Before he could ask what was wrong, he heard her say his least favorite word in the world before his entire body crashed onto the ground just outside the tub.

Muttering curses to himself, Inuyasha was about to give Kagome a piece of his mind until her meek speaking voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Is Shippo okay?"

Inuyasha rose from where he'd been "sat" slowly to sit at the edge of the bath. Moving the items in his arms to the side, he turned around so that he wasn't facing her. The hanyou's ears twitched every which way to make sure no one else was nearby or worse, listening in; he didn't need anyone coddling him about the mushy crap he was going to say later.

"He will be. I never thought I'd see the day where _you'd_ make him cry though," Inuyasha replied jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood. The smell of salty tears told him he'd done the exact opposite.

"I'm so stupid. He was just trying to make me feel better and I had to go and _snap_ at him! He's not even remotely at fault; if anyone is, it's me. _I'm_ the one who lets myself get so bothered by other people's opinions."

Breath hitching in her throat, Kagome struggled to keep her emotions in check as she continued, the words spilling out of their own volition.

"The one who chooses to dress in 'strange clothes'. The one who always stands out like a sore thumb. The one who always gets kidnapped. The one who can't defend herself. The one who forgets she's actually from the future and not the Feudal era."

Her voice started to break. Sniffling in an effort to keep the remainder of her tears from falling, Kagome took a shaky breath as her words began to spill out faster.

"The one who makes her family worry yet hardly ever goes home to put their minds at ease. The one who's behind in school and complains about being so. The one whose family probably think she's an ungrateful brat. The one who… the one who…"  
And then Kagome broke. Her head leaned back as all of the feelings she'd been keeping to herself exited her body as sobs. A new set of tears trailed down her now flushed cheeks, their flow hardly ceasing as she continued to sob. Inuyasha's ears pinned down at the sounds. Hearing Kagome cry hurt worse than any physical wound he'd received. Inuyasha wasn't used to this side of Kagome; he was used to the girl who smiled all the time, whose laughter sounded like bells, whose kindness melted his heart…

The feeling of two tiny and damp fists gripping the back of his suikan was the last straw. In one fluid movement, Inuyasha removed his suikan to wrap around the girl behind him before lifting her to sit behind him at the edge of the bath. Maintaining his gaze ahead, he reached to his side and grabbed the towel that sat at the top of the pile of stuff he'd brought in for her.

"Here stupid, dry your hair so that you don't catch a cold," Inuyasha said before shaking the towel in his hand to get Kagome's attention. Her sobs had quieted down to whimpers, and once her attention was drawn to the noise of the shaking towel, she graciously took it before resting it on her head.

Whimpers calming to deep breaths, Kagome closed the scant distance between Inuyasha and herself by resting her back against his, his long silver tresses instantly becoming a pillow for her to rest her head on. She felt the muscles in his back tense for just a moment before feeling them relax just as fast. The pair stayed in companionable silence until Inuyasha finally stole a glance at the girl behind him. Curled up in a ball and encased by his robe of the firerat, Kagome had somehow slipped into slumber without him even noticing. While she seemed utterly exhausted, she also looked blissfully at peace. A smirk tugged the corners of his lips at the sight.

He'd do whatever he could to maintain that beautifully at peace smile on Kagome's face for far longer than when she woke up. He'd do whatever was necessary to keep Kagome's mind at ease as much as possible. He would protect her, not only from the demons who came after her and the shards of the Shikon jewel but the ones who tried to convince her that she was anything but perfect.


End file.
